


Two Rivers to Each Other Run

by theheadgirl



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/M, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-19
Updated: 2012-03-19
Packaged: 2017-11-02 04:29:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/364978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theheadgirl/pseuds/theheadgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>10 drabbles of 100 words each, chronicling the beginning of Percy and Hermione's relationship. Click the ♪ to hear the song.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Rivers to Each Other Run

1\. "21 Guns," American Idiot OBC [♪](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdEh2JId1Mk)  
 _Your faith walks on broken glass  
And the hangover doesn't pass  
Nothing's ever built to last  
You're in ruins_

Percy has never felt like he belongs somewhere less than he does in the receiving line at Fred's funeral. Standing between Charlie, stiff and uncomfortable, and pale, silent George, he thinks that he'd rather face down a rampaging dragon or deal with all the paperwork in the Ministry - anything except accepting condolences that he doesn't deserve. It's a relief when the receiving line is allowed to disperse, and he starts to leave. Before he can escape, a hand on his wrist stops him.

"Hermione?" he says.

"I'm so sorry," she tells him, and moves her hand to squeeze his.

2\. "Windmills of Your Mind," Dusty Springfield [♪](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl8fKAYQuPk)  
 _Keys that jingle in your pocket  
Words that jangle your head_

Hermione hasn't been able to sleep much since the day of the battle. She can get to sleep, soothed by the sound of Ginny's breathing, but it's staying asleep that's the problem. Every night, there's screams, walls shattering around her, Bellatrix Lestrange's wild eyes and Remus Lupin's bloodied face, and she wakes up frantic and breathless.

Tonight, she gets out of bed, thinking a cup of tea might help. She stops when she sees another person in the kitchen, looking as weary and shaken as she feels. Percy looks up, manages a faint smile.

"Good morning. Care for some tea?"

3\. "Men in Love," The Gossip [♪](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T3Zwnz2Vpw)  
 _I haven't felt this way  
Since I was seventeen  
You know what I mean_

Percy is fairly sure he's developing a whopper of a crush on Hermione Granger. This is extremely awkward for any number of reasons, mainly that he's certain Hermione would never look at him like that, and he's also fairly sure she's dating Ron. (Though, the stupidly hopeful part of him thinks that he hasn't seen them doing anything 'couple-like' since the Battle, so ... perhaps.) They read together, talk over tea, and he's definitely got a crush on her.

So he smiles when she looks over at him, watches her when she's not, and wants, desperately, what he can never have.

4\. "If Only," from The Little Mermaid [♪](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAXlmzhLW40#t=3m36s)  
 _If only I knew how, I'd make him see the light  
If only it were up to me, this would all turn out right_

Hermione isn't dating Ron, she knows that for sure. He hasn't made any advances toward her since the Battle, and she wonders why. Sure, he's busy helping George, but Harry's just as busy with Auror training and he certainly finds time for Ginny. Is there something wrong with her, or is it just Ron being Ron?

No matter - she simply doesn't have time for him, or a relationship, right now. 

Then one day she catches Percy looking at her over his book. He blushes and looks away, and Hermione wonders if she was making time for the wrong Weasley.

5\. "If I Never Knew You," The Cheetah Girls [♪](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Frb5bldb9bw)  
 _And if I never held you  
I would never have a clue  
How at last I'd find in you  
The missing part of me._

Percy knows he's been caught. Hermione saw him watching her (and it can't be explained away as a glance, it was _watching_ ), and he decides to start avoiding her before she can tell him she thinks he's a creep.

Obviously, this is responsible, adult behavior.

She corners him one night after dinner before he can escape. "Why are you avoiding me?" she demands.

"I'm not," he protests, then reaches for his wand to Apparate away, but her hand on his wrist stops him. There's a _jolt_ between them, and Hermione gasps before she can stop herself.

"That's why," Percy breathes.

6\. "Bottle it Up," Sara Bareilles [♪](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf92q6Vrj2o)  
 _Started as a flicker meant to be a flame  
Skin has gotten thicker but it burns the same_

One little spark manages to send Hermione's entire life into chaos. She's touched Percy a thousand times, but she never felt anything like _that_ \- what's changed? Didn't she just decide that she doesn't have time for a relationship, that her studies are more important?

And yet.

There's no denying the tension between them now, charged like the air before a storm; that they don't sit and read or take tea together anymore. Every glance is awkward, every exchange stiff.

One day, Hermione receives an owl. _Will you go to dinner with me?_

What else can she say but _yes_?

7\. "The Ballad of Mr. Percy Weasley," Peeved [♪](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKaYUY8APE0)  
 _I'm Percy Weasley, not in the least bit sleazy,  
Dapper in robes and even muggle suits.  
I'm amazingly delightful, my comments quite insightful,  
And a large number of Os for my OWLs and in my NEWTs._

Dinner is at a brand-new, very trendy restaurant in Diagon Alley - dress code: formal. The food is excellent, but the conversation feels strained, false. The truth is, Percy thinks, he's not cool enough to be here, and he's sure Hermione feels the same way. After the main course is served, he speaks quietly.

"Would you like to leave?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

The bill is settled quickly, and dessert is taken to go. They find a park in Muggle London, where they sit on a bench and talk and laugh, dessert sitting forgotten.

This is more like it.

8\. "Gitchee Gitchee Goo," Vincent Martella and Ashley Tisdale [♪](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U872E53BnOk#t=0m25s)  
 _Sometimes I wish she'd give it to me straight  
But I never feel like I'm losin' it (losing)  
When I take the time to translate_

Apparently, Hermione thinks, dating Percy is like being in a spy novel. Before she went back to Hogwarts, Percy asked if he could write her, and Hermione had consented, then teased that he should write in code so Ginny wouldn't know he was writing her love notes.

...and then the first letter had arrived in code, with a key neatly written in the corner. 

It's weird, but it's sweet, and Hermione loves knowing that he takes the time to write a new code each time especially for her. 

Funny, though: he always writes "Yours, Percy" in a perfectly straightforward manner.

9\. "Frozen," Madonna [♪](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS088Opj9o0)  
 _Now there's no point in placing the blame  
And you should know I suffer the same _

It's the first Christmas after the war, the first Christmas without Fred. Molly smiles, but there are tears shining in her eyes, and there's an air of sadness beneath the joy. After dinner, Percy excuses himself, and ten minutes later, Hermione finds him in the backyard, hands pressed to his face to hide his tears. 

"Come back inside," she whispers.

"I can't," he replies. "It's my f - "

"It's not," she interrupts. "Come on. Be brave, love."

An electric moment, and he lowers his hands, looks at her. She bites her lip, then he nods.

"For you." A pause. "Love."

10\. "Escape from Azkaban," Ministry of Magic [♪](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNaNKqrwrS4)  
 _This never ends.  
Someone make this torture end.  
This has to end._

The nightmares still come. Bellatrix Lestrange comes at her with a snarl on her lips, mouth forming _crucio_ and she's screaming, screaming -

"Hermione!"

She shoots awake, covered in a cold sweat, and she stares uncomprehendingly at the man kneeling next to her. He reaches out, strokes her face, and Hermione's heart rate slows, and she remembers: she's in Percy's flat, and a nap on his couch had quickly devolved into something less restful.

Leaning forward, he wraps her in his arms, stroking her hair, and murmurs, "It's okay. You're safe now."

"I know," she whispers back, and she does.


End file.
